Hi all...
Aquarium n00b here. We've been cycling our new 27 gal cube tank for almost six weeks now (although it seems more like a year) and I have some concerns about how well I'm reading the API test results. Primarily, I have trouble with the Nitrite test. I have found that anything above 1 ppm looks basically the same to me. Once we pass the light blue-lavender phase, I honestly don't see the difference between the various shades of dark purpley-pink. I understand that this won't matter much once we have the tank cycled and full of fish, since anything in that realm is a matter for concern. But right now, as I do these daily readings and hope that something will start to happen to bring the darn nitrites DOWN, I'm feeling a bit discouraged.
Also, I notice that my test results vary a lot within just a minute or two of the time I'm *supposed* to read them. So, at the five-minute mark, the test looks (sorta) like it's at 2 ppm but then, two minutes later it's more like 0.5. What's that all about? Is the test SO sensitive that two or three minutes can make such an enormous difference? I have actually had situations where I got distracted in the middle of timing a nitrite test and missed the five-minute mark by a minute or two. So, are those results totally inaccurate?
Anyway. I'm off to test my water again. I will post my results in a separate thread because I suspect our cycle has stalled and I'd love some advice. But, for now, I'd just like to know whether I'm even doing this right. Sheesh. I got an A in calc-based Chemistry in college. You wouldn't think this would be so difficult....
Aquarium n00b here. We've been cycling our new 27 gal cube tank for almost six weeks now (although it seems more like a year) and I have some concerns about how well I'm reading the API test results. Primarily, I have trouble with the Nitrite test. I have found that anything above 1 ppm looks basically the same to me. Once we pass the light blue-lavender phase, I honestly don't see the difference between the various shades of dark purpley-pink. I understand that this won't matter much once we have the tank cycled and full of fish, since anything in that realm is a matter for concern. But right now, as I do these daily readings and hope that something will start to happen to bring the darn nitrites DOWN, I'm feeling a bit discouraged.
Also, I notice that my test results vary a lot within just a minute or two of the time I'm *supposed* to read them. So, at the five-minute mark, the test looks (sorta) like it's at 2 ppm but then, two minutes later it's more like 0.5. What's that all about? Is the test SO sensitive that two or three minutes can make such an enormous difference? I have actually had situations where I got distracted in the middle of timing a nitrite test and missed the five-minute mark by a minute or two. So, are those results totally inaccurate?
Anyway. I'm off to test my water again. I will post my results in a separate thread because I suspect our cycle has stalled and I'd love some advice. But, for now, I'd just like to know whether I'm even doing this right. Sheesh. I got an A in calc-based Chemistry in college. You wouldn't think this would be so difficult....
